Score:   1
Docket Number:   SD-FL  0:19-cr-60202
Case Name:   USA v. Woessner
  Press Releases:
     U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office announced that Port Everglades employees, William Woessner, 68, of Margate, Florida, David Moore, 43, of Pompano Beach, Florida, and Rajindra Lallharry, 60, of Coral Springs, Florida, and business owner Bryan Zascavage, 57, of Pompano, Florida, were sentenced to prison today for their involvement in a fraud scheme. The defendants had each previously pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit fraud concerning programs receiving federal funds.

     According to the court record, including the factual statements in support of the defendants’ guilty pleas, Woessner, Moore, and Lallharry were issued purchase cards or P-cards, which were to be used to buy business related goods and services for Port Everglades. Instead, they utilized the P-cards to engage in schemes to illegally profit from the use of the cards. Zascavage operated a business, Z & Z, Inc., that provided goods and services to the Port. Woessner and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Woessner would direct Zascavage to purchase certain goods. Woessner would pay for the goods using his Port Everglades P-card, but the goods were not sent to Port Everglades. Instead, Woessner utilized the goods at his plumbing company. In addition, Moore and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for goods ordered by Moore utilizing his Port Everglades P-card. None of the goods would be sent to the Port.  Instead, Zascavage and Moore would split the illegally obtained funds. Further, John McGahee and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for services ordered by McGahee utilizing his Port Everglades P-card. The services ordered by McGahee would not be performed by Zascavage or his company. Zascavage and McGahee would split the illegally obtained funds.

     Lallharry’s family owned five separate companies. Lallharry would utilize his P-card to make direct payments to each of the family-owned companies for goods to allegedly be utilized by the Port. The goods were not delivered to the Port. The illegally obtained funds were utilized by Lallharry and his family to pay personal expenses, including approximately $101,790.85 to pay monthly expenses due the Chapter 13 trustee overseeing Lallharry’s bankruptcy.

     Lallharry was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas to 21 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $206,297.74 in restitution (Case No. 19cr60205). After his sentencing, Lallharry was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence of imprisonment. Woessner was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman to 21 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $153,685.88 in restitution (Case No. 19cr60202). Zascavage was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ursula M. Ungaro to 12 months and 1 day in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $205,706.90 in restitution (Case No. 19cr60203). Moore was sentenced by Judge Ungaro to 3 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $34,768.86 in restitution (Case No. 19cr60206).

McGahee  is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2019 (Case No. 19cr60204).

     U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with this matter. She also thanked the Broward County Sheriff's Office - Public Corruption Unit, Office of the Broward County Auditors, and Port Everglades Department - Port Director's Office for their assistance with the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.

     Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov

Four Port Everglades employees, William Woessner, 68, of Margate, Florida, David Moore, 43, of Pompano Beach, Florida, John McGahee, 43, of Davie, Florida, and Rajindra Lallharry, 60, of Coral Springs, Florida, and business owner Bryan Zascavage, 57, of Pompano, Florida, were each charged in an one-count Information with Conspiracy to Commit Fraud Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.         

            Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.      

As set forth in the charging documents, Woessner, Moore, McGahee, and Lallharry were employees of Port Everglades (U.S. v. Moore, Case No. 19-60206-Ungaro; U.S. v. Woeesner, Case No. 19-60202-Altman; U.S. v. McGahee, Case No. 19-60204-Smith; and U.S. v. Lallharry, Case No. 19-60205-Dimitrouleas).  They were issued purchase cards or P-cards, which were to be used to buy goods and services for Port Everglades.  Instead, they utilized the P-cards to engage in schemes to illegally profit from the use of the cards.

            Zascavage operated a business, Z & Z, Inc., that provided goods and services to the Port (U.S. v. Zascavage, Case No. 19-60203-Ungaro).  Woessner and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Woessner would direct Zascavage to purchase certain goods.  Woessner would pay for the goods using his Port Everglades P-card, but the goods were not sent to Port Everglades.  Instead, Woessner utilized the goods at his plumbing company. 

            Moore and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for goods ordered by Moore utilizing his Port Everglades P-card.  None of the goods would be sent to the Port.  Zascavage and Moore would split the illegally obtained funds.

            McGahee and Zascavage engaged in a scheme wherein Zascavage would receive payments for services ordered by McGahee utilizing his Port Everglades P-card.   The services ordered by McGahee would not be performed by Zascavage or his company.   Zascavage and McGahee would split the illegally obtained funds.

            Lallharry’s family owned five separate companies.  Lallharry would utilize his P-card to make direct payments to each of the family-owned companies for goods to allegedly be utilized by the Port.  The goods were not delivered to the Port.  The illegally obtained funds were utilized by Lallharry and his family to pay personal expenses, including approximately $101,790.85 to pay monthly expenses due the Chapter 13 trustee overseeing Lallharry’s bankruptcy.

            Woessner, Moore, McGahee, Lallharry, and Zascavage each face a statutory maximum term of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the amount of the gross gain or the gross loss.

An Information is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

            U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with this matter. She also thanked the Broward County Sheriff's Office - Public Corruption Unit, Office of the Broward County Auditors, and Port Everglades Department - Port Director's Office for their assistance with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Docket (0 Docs):   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yG1GJ2v1K9drZkvvXi_4zw6pEzeNjQZmoUM271mvvSU
  Last Updated: 2023-10-21 12:18:25 UTC
Description: The fiscal year of the data file obtained from the AOUSC
Format: YYYY

Description: The code of the federal judicial circuit where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the federal judicial district where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: The code of the district office where the case was located
Format: A2

Description: Docket number assigned by the district to the case
Format: A7

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which cannot be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which can be modified by the court
Format: A3

Description: A sequential number indicating whether a case is an original proceeding or a reopen
Format: N5

Description: Case type associated with the current defendant record
Format: A2

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, defendant number, and reopen sequence number
Format: A18

Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, and reopen sequence number
Format: A15

Description: The status of the defendant as assigned by the AOUSC
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the fugitive status of a defendant
Format: A1

Description: The date upon which a defendant became a fugitive
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which a fugitive defendant was taken into custody
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date when a case was first docketed in the district court
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which proceedings in a case commenced on charges pending in the district court where the defendant appeared, or the date of the defendant’s felony-waiver of indictment
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code used to identify the nature of the proceeding
Format: N2

Description: The date when a defendant first appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: A code indicating the event by which a defendant appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: A2

Description: A code indicating the type of legal counsel assigned to a defendant
Format: N2

Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the highest severity
Format: A20

Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE1
Format: N2

Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4

Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE1
Format: A3

Description: The FIPS code used to indicate the county or parish where an offense was committed
Format: A5

Description: The date of the last action taken on the record
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which judicial proceedings before the court concluded
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the final sentence is recorded on the docket
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The date upon which the case was closed
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: The total fine imposed at sentencing for all offenses of which the defendant was convicted and a fine was imposed
Format: N8

Description: A count of defendants filed including inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed excluding inter-district transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings commenced
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants filed whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated including interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated excluding interdistrict transfers
Format: N1

Description: A count of original proceedings terminated
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants terminated whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period including long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period excluding long term fugitives
Format: N1

Description: The source from which the data were loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: A10

Description: A sequential number indicating the iteration of the defendant record
Format: N2

Description: The date the record was loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: YYYYMMDD

Description: Statistical year ID label on data file obtained from the AOUSC which represents termination year
Format: YYYY

Data imported from FJC Integrated Database
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